A proper effort marred by the usual Chinese quirks
We liked this one. GWM launched the Tank 300 long before the current plague of boxy Chinese off-road copycat clones flooded South African showrooms. As the forefather of the China-Jeep phenomenon that's since become endemic, it still does the best job of them all. Now equipped with a 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine, it even makes genuine sense.
Unlike the waves of Johnny-come-lately contenders falling over themselves in its wake, GWM is no enigma. The brand has operated consistently in South Africa for well over 20 years now. Far longer than any other Chinese carmaker. That established footprint counts for plenty when dropping R700K on a utility vehicle.
Better still, the Tank 300 2.4T Super Luxury 4WD is built the right way. Underneath the square-jawed bodywork sits a proper ladder-frame chassis, low-range transfer case, and locking diffs. It delivers the mechanical grit local buyers demand, without the joke GVM of a Jaecoo or the all-electric stupidity of a BYD, an iCaur or the rest, in third world Msanzi.
PROPER HARDWARE, REAL BUTTONS
Step up into the cabin, and the first pleasant surprise is a dashboard blessed with proper physical buttons and knobs. You can adjust the climate control or engage four-wheel drive without diving three layers deep into a touchscreen menu while you bounce down Sani Pass.
That said, it's not immune to weird styling solutions. Between the faux-aviation thrust-lever gear selector, shiny turbine vents, and garish trim detailing, parts of the cockpit conjure up odd thoughts of semi-nude Seoul chambermaids. It tries way too hard in places where simple utility would do.
The digital interface also suffers the usual Chinese maladies. The screens are cluttered with over-the-top graphics that are tough to follow on the move. For the life of us, we failed to change the driver dials from that bizarre default 4x4 graphic into a normal cluster.
DIESEL GRUNT & ELECTRONIC NANNIES
Replacing the thirsty petrol and complex hybrid powertrains of earlier models, the 135 kW 480 Nm 2.4-litre turbodiesel is the propulsion the Tank 300 needed from day one. Paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, it pulls with lazy, bottom-end muscle that suits a heavy ladder-frame wagon.
Strap on the VBox, and the diesel Tank posts honest numbers. It clears 100 km/h in 10.6 seconds, while the standing 400-metre run is dispatched in 17.3 seconds at 128 km/h. It cruises well, can beat the traffic and does all that like every Saffer wants it to.
Overtaking flexibility is solid too, with the 80–120 km/h increment taking 8.1 seconds. Out on the road, however, the drive is marred by overbearing electronic nannies. The lane-keep and driver-attention chimes are relentless, intrusive, and near impossible to quell without losing your mind.
PROPER UTILITY. WITHOUT THE ENIGMA.
Yet complaining about a locked-in 4x4 dial graphic is cutting hairs when the underlying hardware works this well. On broken tar and corrugated dirt, while taut, the ladder-frame chassis feels solid and planted, soaking up punishment that leaves unibody crossovers rattling.
It also brings proper working credentials to the fight. With a 78-litre tank and a claimed 7.7 l/100 km consumption figure, it offers a theoretical highway range past 1,000 km alongside a competitive three-ton braked towing capacity. You can tow most toys with that.
Add in 224 mm of ground clearance and a correct low-range gearbox, and the Tank 300 is no suburban poser. It will happily lug a heavy trailer or crawl up a rocky trail without breaking a sweat.
TAKING THE FIGHT TO FORTUNER & MU-X
At R699 900 for this Super Luxury 4WD, the Tank 300 lands squarely against bottom-end 4x4 versions of the Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 and Isuzu mu-X 1.9 Ddi. That puts it right in the crosshairs of South Africa’s traditional gravel-travel establishment.
While the Japanese stalwarts hold the edge in ergonomic simplicity and bulletproof resale, the GWM counters with considerably more torque than both entry-level rivals, heavier standard specification, and a 7-year/200 000 km warranty.
If you're shopping around at the R700K mark and want a well-equipped alternative to a base Fortuner or mu-X, the turbodiesel Tank 300 is a proper contender. More importantly, if you're tempted by the current wave of boxy Chinese 4x4s, skip the copycats. Go for the original. Because its head and shoulders above the rank and file. – Michele Lupini
Images & Testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: GWM Tank 300 2.4T Super Luxury 4WD
Engine: 135 kW 480 Nm 2.4-litre turbodiesel I4
Drive: 9-speed automatic 4WD
TESTED:
0–60 km/h: 4.5 sec
0–100 km/h: 10.6 sec
0–120 km/h: 15.2 sec
400m: 17.3 sec @ 128 km/h
80–120 km/h: 8.1 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 170 km/h
Fuel: 7.7 l/100 km
CO2: 202 g/km
Range: 1013 km
Warranty/Service: 7y/200K km / 7y/75K km
LIST PRICE: R699 900
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